I realize there is a finite number of stories a soap opera can tell, and that stories are bound to be repeated. However, I detest the idea that we must endure another baby switch. There was enough drama surrounding the birth of Starr and Tess' babies that adding a switch was unnecessary. There isn't any suspense with this story at all. We know that the baby switch will be revealed, probably when the baby that survived has the obligatory medical crisis, and then everyone will be shocked, and the baby will be returned the correct family. Why do we have to go through this again? It's lazy storytelling, and it doesn't add anything but frustration for me to watch the show. The only solace I find in this is that Dorian is asking questions about what happened to Hope. Everyone else has accepted the news of Hope's death without questioning it, but Dorian can sense that something is amiss. I hope she doesn't drop her crusade to find out the truth, because I can't sit through months and months of Jessica thinking that Hope is her baby. I don't want to watch Starr and her family have a funeral for Hope, and I don't want everyone to say "If only Hope had survived" for an eternity. I was so desperate for this story not to continue that I hoped Viki would believe Tess when she said Hope wasn't her baby! There isn't a good reason for Viki to believe Tess, but I wanted her to figure out the truth so I could be spared. Since the writers seem insistent on continuing this cumbersome story, I hope it doesn't last long. I am tired of it already, and we are only in the first two weeks of it!
The conflict between Jessica's alters isn't terribly captivating either. Tess is the angry one, Bess is the calm, emotionless one, and Jessica is the vulnerable one. I get it! I don't need to see this in action everyday. I think it was creative to show us what Jessica's "mind" looks like from the perspective of her alters, complete with an actual gate where Bess keeps Jessica and Tess. However, I think the DID story has run its course. I was extremely happy see Jessica return after so many months of listening to Tess rant and rave. As expected, Jessica was inconsolable when she learned what Tess had done to Jared and Natalie, and she could tell that her family was hesitant to accept that she was actually Jessica. I half expected Jessica to forgive Jared and Natalie when she called them into her hospital room, but it turned out she just wanted forgiveness for herself. What surprised me most about that scene was Natalie's unwavering support of her sister. Honestly, I haven't liked Natalie for a long time, but I liked that she vowed to help Jessica get through everything now that Jessica has returned. Natalie could have acted like Jared and been flip with her, but Natalie took the high road and tried to be there for Jessica. Maybe Natalie appreciates Jessica more after seeing what Tess is capable of, or maybe Natalie is still trying to atone for what happened to Nash (not that it's her fault). Whatever Natalie's reasoning is, I am glad she is standing by Jessica. I also like Viki's role in this story. It's true that DID is not hereditary, but I like seeing Viki help Jessica by sharing her own experience with the disorder. Viki knows how to deal with each alter and knows what to expect, and she can understand how Jessica feels guilty about the actions of her alters. Few people understand mental illness to begin with, and I am sure that is especially true with DID. Jessica needs Viki to work through what has happened in the last 5 months, and Viki will be able to look at everything from a unique perspective. No one else in Llanview, thankfully, has DID, so Viki is the best person to help her daughter. This is what I wanted to happen when it was revealed that Jessica had DID a few years ago. At that time, Viki's role in Jessica's life was reduced for the sake of the love triangle with Antonio, Jessica/Tess, and Nash, and I felt like the writers had taken the story in the wrong direction. I am glad that Viki is playing a bigger role in Jessica's situation this time, and maybe with Viki's help, Jessica can work towards becoming integrated once again.
After months of being in a fantasy world with Marty, Todd has had to face everything he has done to Marty. Everyone in Llanview has an opinion about his hiding Marty in his house, and he doesn't seem to have a single ally. I hope his hospital room is guarded because I can see certain people walking in and trying to harm him further! I understand people's outrage in Llanview, but Blair's tirade against Todd fell flat for me. She has been mad at Todd for many of the horrible things over the years, including telling her that her baby was dead, and she always goes back to him. Of course, she has done some bad things to him too, but that's beside the point. I just don't believe that Blair is writing Todd off for good, nor do I think this is the end of their story. Blair is obsessed with Todd, and she will always be interested in what he's doing. She certainly has a right to be angry about what Todd planned to do with Hope, but I just think her anger won't last. Starr, however, will need a lot of time and help to forgive Todd for what he was going to do, if she ever does. It's amazing that the writers have managed to destroy Starr and Todd's relationship in less than a year. Starr looked up to Todd and defended him to other people, and now she feels like he betrayed her in more ways than one. She summed up many people's thoughts when she asked "Who is he?" She has always been able to understand Todd, but now, she can't justify anything her father has done. Nora knows what Todd is capable of, and she is mad because he took advantage of her friend. Dorian is always looking for a reason to be mad at Todd, and then there is John.
I have seen people argue about what John did to Todd on the message boards. Some people think he's a hero, while others think he was out of line by beating up Todd. I have always felt that John is self-righteous and arrogant and will do whatever he needs to do to be the hero and feed his ego. This time, he was obviously fueled by his love for Marty. While I understand that, I don't think he had a right to take matters into his own hands, at least while calling himself an employee of the LPD. Please understand that I am happy John found Marty because it moved the story forward, but I don't think John is cut out to be a civil servant. He has tunnel vision when it comes to justice, and that tunnel only includes Todd. He doesn't care about rules, and he doesn't let obstacles stop him. He does what he wants and needs to do. This is why I wasn't sad to see John resign at the LPD during that comical news interview. He isn't interested in serving the common good; he only wants to pursue what interests him. . Beating up Todd was a completely impulsive behavior, and again, he wasn't interested in justice or the law when he did that. He was feeding a personal vendetta against Todd. I was surprised that Bo, Nora, and everyone else in Llanview was ready to exonerate John and throw him a parade. Does the LPD really want the reputation of police brutality? Whatever their reasoning for being on John's side was, I still think John is better off being a private investigator. He wants to do things his way, in spite of any bad ramifications for him or for other people. I hope that John doesn't go back to the LPD in the future. Crimes will never be solved in Llanview unless Todd commits them!
Finally, Marty had a difficult week as she faced Todd after she took the pregnancy pills and then saw her son that she doesn't remember. I find it hard to believe that the confrontation she had with Todd would be permitted in a hospital, but Llanview Hospital doesn't seem to have any security or rules. Marty couldn't wait to tell Todd that she made sure she wouldn't be having his baby and that he deserves everything he gets. She was brimming with anger and made sure Todd knew how she felt. Those scenes were chilling, especially compared to how fond of Todd Marty was just a couple of weeks ago. Marty is a different person now that she realizes she had been a victim of Todd's lies and manipulations. It will be interesting to see how Marty deals with what happened to her and if she is able to trust other people after what happened with Todd. I am glad that Nora was there with her because she was friends with Nora before the accident, and Nora also understands Marty's history with Todd. I am also glad that Marty is living with Nora because she will be protected from Todd, and she can feel safe being under the same roof with her son. Nora also has a sordid history with Todd, so she knows of what he capable and can help Marty work through her anger. Nora has been randomly inserted into scenes for months, but finally, she has a place in a story that makes sense!
Cole's reunion with Marty was bittersweet. He was thrilled beyond words to see her, but she couldn't muster the same feelings about seeing him. She wants to be his mother but doesn't know how. This was portrayed well when Nora ran over to hug Cole when she and Marty arrived at the mansion, and Marty stood back and averted her eyes. She isn't sure what to do and doesn't know where to start. Cole tried to jog Marty's memories, which only ended up upsetting her. This particular moment made sense to me. Cole wanted to do everything he could to trigger Marty's memory, but Marty was overwhelmed by everything. I think Cole dealt with the situation well, though. Even when Marty snapped at Cole, he remained patient and tried to understand how she was feeling. I think Cole has grown up a lot in the past year. He seemed to understand that Marty was vulnerable and needed his compassion instead of his getting frustrated with her. While it was hard to watch Cole try to help his mom, I am glad that Marty didn't remember everything immediately. After everything she has been through, it wouldn't have felt right for Marty to see Cole and instantly remember him and her life with him. Whenever soap operas do the amnesia story, it seems like the affected character remembers his/her memories conveniently at the most dramatic moment. It looks like Marty's memories will return slowly, though, and I like that better. She remembers Cole as a baby and remembered the song and poem that they used to share. I am sure as the weeks go on, she'll remember more, which could make a great story for Marty and Cole. Susan Haskell and Brandon Buddy did an amazing job with their scenes. I could feel the awkwardness the characters felt and could feel each of the character's trying to help the other. I didn't like the story with Marty and Todd, but so far, her return is turning out to be worth watching, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Until next time,
Dawn
